like madness seemed to have seized upon the
animal. A destructive principle, hitherto dormant, was awakened; it
darted fiercely and with glaring eyes upon its prey, tore it to pieces
with fury, and roaring in the most fearful manner, rushed at once into
the jungle."

I am not sorry to end this account of the tiger with an old story, which
places the fierce beast of prey in rather a more amiable light than most
of the previous histories. "A tigress of great beauty, from Bengal,
being extremely docile on her passage home from Calcutta, was allowed to
run about the vessel, and became exceedingly familiar with the sailors.
On her arrival in the Thames, however, her temper became very irascible,
and even dangerous. She was placed in the Tower, where she for some time
continued to exhibit a sulky and savage disposition. One day, the person
who had charge of her on board the ship, visited the Tower, and begged
permission of the keeper to be allowed to enter her den, to which he at
last agreed, though with much reluctance. No sooner did the tigress
recognise her old friend, than she fawned upon him, licked, and caressed
him, exhibiting the most extravagant signs of pleasure; and when he
left her, she whined and cried the whole day afterwards."

LEOPARDS, PANTHERS, ETC.

The Felis Leopardus and the Felis Pardus of authors, represent the
Leopard and Panther; but it has been impossible to establish any
characters which mark the difference between them. Size, colour, form,
and position of spots have been resorted to, but age and locality have
set all rules aside, and, therefore, in treating of them, I shall use
the term indiscriminately. Their extreme beauty, and their greater
docility, make them more interesting than the tiger; nevertheless, they,
like others of the feline tribe, should not be treated too unreservedly.
Their internal anatomy and dentition agree with those of the tiger, but
they are of smaller and slighter make, are natives of the East, but
particularly abundant in most parts of Africa. They are exceedingly
active and graceful; swim, climb trees, or slide along the ground like a
snake, and are very apt to spring upon their victims from the branches
of trees. Their coat is of that beautiful shade of tawny, which forms so
good a contrast with their black rosettes, or spots.

My first personal acquaintance with leopards and panthers was made on
the leeward coast of Africa, and one of the latter brought by M